SUGAR LAND, Texas - Gov. Rick Perry scoured for support Sunday
in Houston's vote-rich suburbs as Democratic rival Bill White
looked to the World Series to jump-start his behind-in-the-polls
campaign.

Both candidates used their final weekend of politicking to
target upscale communities, especially those where Barack Obama ran
well in 2008 and helped bring Democrats to power in Congress.
Discontent with the economy, health care and other issues have
swung the pendulum the other way in Sugar Land, and a rally crowd
of about 150 people greeted Perry with hearty applause.

With the latest surveys giving Perry a comfortable lead, the
Republican did not mention White's name once, choosing instead to
train his ire on Washington.

"Small government, fiscal conservatives across this country on
Tuesday are going to be elected," Perry said to cheers during a
stop at the Safari Texas Ranch, where he was introduced by wife
Anita. "Governors from 37 states are going to be elected to go to
Washington, D.C., to send a powerful message that we want our
country back."

Perry also attended rallies in Tomball and Kingwood, GOP-leaning
suburbs that his backers hope will boost the governor's tallies in
Harris County, where White once served as Houston mayor.

"Perry is for positive change," said Pat Hebert, 69, wife of
Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert. "But a lot of this momentum is
also anti-Washington. People are pleased with the direction of
Texas, but not pleased with the direction of the country."

White, meanwhile, campaigned in Dallas, Houston and Austin the
last two days. And he launched a last-minute fundraising effort to
pay for a World Series ad accusing Perry of putting his political
ambitions before Texas. The White e-mail appealing for money says
the TV spot could reach enough undecided voters "to make all the
difference" in the race.

White spent Sunday making campaign calls in Houston. Saturday,
he visited his Austin headquarters and, later, walked a
neighborhood in southwest Houston. Aides had identified Democratic
voters there who had not gone to the polls.

Mark Zeidman, a lawyer who was a year behind White in law
school, promised to vote for White. He said it was time to replace
Perry, the state's longest-serving governor.

"Somebody who's not an embarrassment would be good," Zeidman
told White. "And you definitely are a step above that."

Pat Puariea, who was not on the list because of her GOP voting
history, also told White she's supporting him. She said Perry had
misrepresented White's stewardship of Houston as mayor.

"We may be Republican, but we're voting for Bill White," she
said.

Voters at the Perry rally in Sugar Land, a Fort Bend County city
of 80,000 where median family incomes exceed $110,000, emitted a
far different vibe. The home base of former Republican House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Fort Bend County, which includes Sugar
Land, came within 2 percentage points of going for Obama in 2008.
Things appear to have turned again.

In the parking lot a message written in marker on one vehicle
announced, "More of God, less govt." Another on a truck implored
Perry to help Texas "keep our guns & Freedom of Speech."

As supporters snapped photos with Perry and snacked on chicken
fingers, nearly all expressed a profound disillusionment with
Washington. Many said their votes for Perry were as much an
indictment of the Democratic-led Congress and White House as a show
of faith in the governor.

Melanie Scott, who came from nearby Pasadena for the rally, said
her life has hit a rocky patch since the last election. A
self-described independent voter, Scott lost her job and is now
caring for her ailing mother.

She believes the country has taken a turn for the worse and
squarely blames the Democratic Party.

"In 2008, people wanted a change," Scott said. "But I think the
kind of change they wanted didn't come around."